As the Mayor announced that only 40% of homes at the TfL owned Limmo Peninsula in East London will be affordable, Caroline Pidgeon expressed concern that TfL's dire financial state is causing corners to be cut.
Caroline Pidgeon welcomed work to make 13 more Tube stations step-free but stressed that this must be just the start - 60% of stations will still be inaccessible to people with disabilities.
Caroline Pidgeon has joined local Liberal Democrats in Southwark in calling for a review of traffic lights across the borough. On many crossings, lights for pedestrians stay on red even when they are also red for cars. This adds up to a lot of wasted time and frustration.
Caroline and local Lib Dem councillor Daniel Whitehead met TfL at Canada Water to discuss how bus services in Rotherhithe can be improved.
Specifically, TfL are planning:
Caroline had a productive meeting with the Highgate Society and other local community groups, along with the Mayor's cycling commissioner Will Norman, to discuss cycling routes and liveable neighbourhoods in Highgate and Archway.
The lack of an Overground service for Boxing Day to match the Tube, despite hints earlier in the year, is a real disappointment for those who depend on the Overground lines, said Caroline Pidgeon as she questioned the Mayor on the topic.
Caroline told MayorWatch:
“Sadiq Khan likes to boast about the start of the London Overground night service but he cannot hide away from the fact Londoners have long been promised a Boxing Day service on the London Overground.
Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member, commenting on the Mayor’s reply to her questioning about the need for a London Underground station at the Bricklayer’s Arms as part of the Bakerloo Line extension, said:
Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrat London Assembly Member, commenting on the report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch into the overturning of a tram at Sandilands junction on the 9th November 2016 said:
“Sadly the clock can never be turned back, but one thing that must now happen is that each and every recommendation from this investigation report is implemented as quickly as possible.
Commenting on the announcement that the Mayor is proposing to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone to the whole of London for bus, coaches and lorries from October 2020, Caroline Pidgeon said:
“The Mayor is right to move closer to a comprehensive and expanded Ultra-Low Emission Zone.
“However, while these proposals are right we should not for one moment pretend that the Mayor is doing everything in his powers to tackle London’s toxic air. For the Mayor to peddle this claim is misleading in the extreme.
Caroline Pidgeon has criticised Transport for London's record of spending nearly £2m over 7 years on a consultancy contract to provide "senior executive facilitation, support and coaching", without looking for competitive bids.
“Renewing this contract without competitive bidding for so many years raises some fundamental questions about TfL’s transparency, let alone its commitment to value for money.
“Contracts such as this should be open for examination and regularly put out to tender.”
You can read the full story at MayorWatch.
